The Penn's Colony Festival, which was planned for Sept. 19 and 20 and 26 and 27 at the familiar property on Saxonburg Boulevard in Clinton Township, has been canceled.

Local festival enthusiasts will just have to imagine what life was like at harvest time in the 18th Century, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ray and Beth Rush, who operate the Penn's Colony Festival, said they have decided to cancel the 2020 festival, which was to have been held on Sept. 19 and 20 and 26 and 27 at the familiar property on Saxonburg Boulevard in Clinton Township.

“No matter how much we would have implemented all the safety measures, we just couldn't guarantee for ourselves that someone couldn't contract the virus,” Beth Rush said.

The Penn's Colony Festival recreates an early American village with 185 artists and craftsmen, musicians, historic re-enactors and entertainers set in the midst of their Colonial harvest festival.

French and Native American historical displays and historians surround the village each year as well.

The festival attracts 8,000 to 10,000 patrons and 185 vendors each year, Beth Rush said.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Wednesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.